For the longest time, March has been known as the longest month of the year. It’s that time of the academic year where people either “make it or break it.” There is a loss of motivation, quarter three comes to an end, and AP exams are approaching.
“I think it’s just a combination of factors. The honeymoon is over. February and December break are done, and it’s the time of year where the end is so close, technically, but also it just feels like every day goes by slowly,” English teacher Brian Wong mentioned.
“Generally, I think March is one of the hardest times of year for everybody,” Spanish teacher Elana Mayer explained. “There are no built in breaks, so that’s a big part of it. I think Daylight Savings Time plays a role as well, because it’s dark in the mornings again, and it’s harder to wake up when it’s dark outside,” she continued.
This year however, March went by rather quickly for many. “This March, weirdly enough, did go by faster than it usually does for me. Normally, I’m dreading it, but we’re already in the last full week of March,” commented Wong.
“Honestly, I think February break felt so long that March is just going by really quick,” added sophomore Liliah Reid.
Even though the month itself might have gone by faster, teachers have still noticed changes in student performance overall. “It’s interesting. For some students, I notice a dip, and for other students, I notice the opposite,” shared Mayer.
She continued to point out that it depends on the students’ performance overall throughout the year. Those who have not been doing well tend to start performing better; those who have been doing well tend to dip due to burnout.
On March 9th and 10th of 2026, there were unexpected sunny days that both students and teachers took advantage of. It’s not often that Massachusetts has nice weather during this month, so people took the opportunity. “It was actually really fun. We would sit outside in the courtyard and just talk. It was nice to be outside in the sun, because we had a really bad winter,” Reid stated.
While this year, March might have been better than usual, there are still many things people can do to feel motivated when times get hard. Wong shared that among physical exercise, he also spends time with those he cares about to keep himself motivated.
“I definitely think a big part of my motivation is my parents, because I know they want me to do my best, so I try to do my best for them and keep my grades up,” Reid affirmed.
“I think that it’s very helpful for me to spend a lot of time planning my lessons so that, if I am giving the students interesting lessons and interesting projects, I am more motivated to engage with them and to grade it,” concluded Mayer.
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